Day Hiking

Day Hiking

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Before SUVs, snowmobiles, OHVs, and other motorized vehicles, the only way to see the intricacies of the park was by foot. Today, these fundamental activities are still the primary means of and perhaps the most natural and relaxed way to explore the parks. Day hiking is a safe and enjoyable way to experience parts of the park and sometimes preferable to an overnight trip into a difficult area that is beyond the capabilities of you or someone in your group. Please remember to keep the philosophy of Leave No Trace in mind: leave the trail as it was before you got there.

White Sands National Monument

White Sands National Monument features great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand. The glistening 275 square miles of desert boasts the world's largest gypsum dune field. White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of this unique dune field.

Walnut Canyon National Monument

Walnut Canyon National Monument was established in 1915 specifically to preserve the "prehistoric ruins of ancient cliff dwellings." Visit Walnut Canyon and walk in the footsteps of people who lived here more than 700 years ago. Peek into their homes, cliff dwellings built deep within canyon walls. The Canyon remains valuable today as habitat for plants and animals. See for yourself on trails along the canyon rim and into the depths.

Wupatki National Monument

Wupatki National Monument was established to preserve Citadel and Wupatki pueblos. Monument boundaries have been adjusted several times since its establishment, and now include additional pueblos and other archeological resources on a total of 35,422 acres. Wupatki represents a cultural crossroads, home to numerous groups of people over thousands of years.

Timpanogos Cave National Monument

Whether interested in a cave tour, Ranger-led program or just to hike or walk, visitors can find a variety of adventures at Timpanogos Cave National Monument. American Fork Canyon, located only a few miles from the monument, provides a backdrop of spectacular canyon views. Crystal mountain lakes and beautiful trees and flowers make Timpanogos Cave National Monument an oasis away from the populated Wasatch Front.

Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument

Virgin Islands Coral Reef Monument protects federal submerged lands within 3 miles of the island of St. John. These waters support a diverse and complex system of coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds that contribute to the health and survival of all its ecosystems.

Tonto National Monument

Situated within rugged terrain of the Sonoran Desert, Tonto National Monument preserves cliff dwellings and other prehistoric archeological sites. A vast culture lived within Tonto Basin, surviving and adapting to the arid environment. Perched over far above the river valley, the cliff dwellings represent the final phase of occupation in this area.

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument was established by President Herbert Hoover to protect its geologic formations. It occupies 3,040 acres surrounded by Coconino National Forest, representing the Colorado Plateau's most recent volcanic eruption. It is the youngest, least-eroded cinder cone in the San Francisco Volcanic Field.

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is located at the foothills of the Manzano Mountains. Once, thriving American Indian trade communities inhabited this remote area of central New Mexico. Early in the 17th-century Spanish Franciscans found it ripe for their missionary efforts. Though, by 1677 the entire Salinas District was depopulated of both Indians and Spaniards.

Russell Cave National Monument

Russell Cave was home to prehistoric peoples for more than 10,000 years. The monument provides clues to the daily lifeways of early North American inhabitants dating from 6500 B.C. to 1650 A.D. The cave shelter archaeological site contains the most complete record of prehistoric cultures in the Southeast.

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